Art or



(No Model.)

S. HENSHALL. ARTOR METHOD OF KNITTING STOCKINGS VN 388,678, Patented Aug. 28, 1888 w Fla. 3. a w

w Z gwum vtoz.

. I E I AS a/mueL Ran/(s all,

a 6g his flitorrwgs I a e V Nita SAMUEL HENSHALL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA ART OR, METHOD-PQE-KNITTING STOCKlNGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Eietters Patent No. 388,678, dated August 28, 1888.

Application filed October 27, 1987. Serial No. 253,518. (No model.)

ing had to the accompanying drawings,

which- Figure 1 represents a side View of a part of a stocking having the toe portion formed inac cordanee with my invention; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the end portion of the foot before the toe is joined, and Fig. 3a diagram illustrative of the manner in which my invention is carried out. 7

In making astocking in accordance with my invention theleg A, heel A, and foot B are formed in any of the usual ways, and the tubular web of fabric which forms the foot of the stocking is completed up to the point at which 3are thrown out of action, but retain their stitches. Successive courses of stitches are then formed upon the needles on the other half, a, of the head, and after each course of stitches one of the needles, first at one end of the set and then at the other end, is thrown out of action, so that the web produced is-gradually narrowed in width. When this narrowing has proceeded tothe desired extent-say until only the needles '10 remain in action-these needles are thrown out of action, bntwith the rest of the needles around the halfa of the head are allowed to retain their stitches. The needles of the half I) of the head are then brought into action, and a gradually-narrowing web is formed on these needles in the same manner as the like web had been previously formed upon the needles around the half a of the head. This being accomplished, all the needles of the head are thrown into action,

and a number of courses of stitches around the complete head are formed preparatory to pro ceeding with the knitting of a new stocking. The eflect of this method of operation is to form on the upper and lower halves of the foot B tapering tongues D, the courses of stitches in which are parallel with those in the knitted tube forming the foot, and around the edges of these tongues is formed a band, F, the courses of stitches comprising which. are at an angle to the courses of stitches forming the tapering tongues.

In order to complete the toe, the stitches on the adjacent edges of this band are united on an ordinary seaming-machine, the fact that the edge of the band presents a continuous course of stitches facilitating the application of the band to the machine andiinsnring the forma tion of a neat seam, so that the point ofjunction of the two parts of the tee is hardly percep'tible. around the front of the toe, instead of being The seam, moreover, is directly over the top of the foot, as in that class of stockings in which the pocket or protuberance to form the tee is made wholly on one half of the knittcdtube forming the foot.

The formation of the band B around the edges of the tapering tongues D D, besides attaining the ad vantage above set forth, enables me to impart to the toe that rounding former appearance of fullness which is a desideraturn.

' Having thus described my invention, 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent" The mode herein described of forming a toe upon a stocking, said mode consisting in forming upon the foot opposite projecting tapering tongues by narrowing the web first upon the needles of one half of the machine and then upon the needles of the other ball, then form ing stitches around the entire set of needles,

and then uniting the adjacent edges of the con-- 

